Australian photographer Ray Collins first picked up a camera in 2007 and used it to photograph his friends surfing around his coastal home after long shifts working in a nearby coalmine.

His attention quickly shifted from his friends to patterns and forms he noticed in the waves. Collins, who is colourblind, was also drawn to the interplay of light and water, perhaps more attuned to contrast than the nuance of color.

He poetically refers to this switch from coalminer to fine art photographer as a balance between his “black life and blue life”.

Here’s some more of Ray’s striking oceanic imagery for your viewing pleasure:

Catalan artist Pep Ventosa challenges the notion that a photograph can capture only one specific moment in time. Instead, his series, “In The Round – Carousels,” conveys the passing of many moments, creating a photographic amalgamation of different colors, shapes and forms. At first glance, his carousels appear to move before your eyes.

Underwater photography of scuba divers, coral, or wildlife can sometimes seem commonplace regardless of the remote destination or subject, but Indonesian photographer Hengki Koentjoro (here and here) bucks the trend with his desaturated, dark, and often brooding images taken in and around Jakarta.

Macro photographer Peiling Lee from Malaysia turned to photography after quitting her design/advertising job and has been taking her art seriously for the last three years. Before that she was like most people, having fun with her digital compact.

She uses water, flowers, and grass as props, as well as the natural light and colours of the environment to create her beautiful take on a macro world.